2 Yonkers Downtown Business Organizations Team Up for Holiday Toy Drive to Benefit YWCA

Nov. 24, 2009 - PRLog -- A lot of children will be smiling this holiday season thanks to a community-wide toy drive that will be jointly undertaken by the Yonkers Downtown Business Improvement District and the Strategic Business Alliance of Yonkers (SBAY) to benefit the YWCA of Yonkers.

“The idea for the joint toy drive came about as a result of last year’s YWCA holiday drive not being as successful as hoped for,” said Steve Sansone, Yonkers BID Executive Director. As this year’s holiday approached Sansone and Robin Brumfield, Executive Director of SBAY, had discussed ways to assure that YWCA’s toy drive would have a much happier outcome. “We decided that by working together, we stood a good chance of making this one of the YWCA’s best toy drives,” Mr. Sansone noted.

Ms. Brumfield stated: “We are pleased to help the YWCA which has played such an important role in shaping the lives of young people in this community for more than 100 years.”

The campaign has gotten underway with the BID and SBAY establishing convenient drop-off points for the public to bring unwrapped toys for children ranging in age from infant to 18 years:

•   The Yonkers BID office, 4 Hudson Street
•   SBAY office, 30 South Broadway, Unit 7B
•   YWCA, 87 South Broadway
•   Hudson Park Apartments, Yonkers Waterfront
•   Hudson Valley Bank, 61 South Broadway.
•   Other locations throughout the Downtown District

In addition, toys can be brought to the annual tree lighting ceremony at Getty Square which will get underway at 4:30 PM, Thursday, December 3.

On December 15, members of the board of directors of the Downtown BID and SBAY will deliver all the collected toys at the YWCA where they will be gift wrapped in time to distribute to the children.

This holiday toy drive is one of the ways that YWCA partners with the community to help empower community residents. In the words of Yejide O. Okunribido, Esq., YWCA’s Executive Director: “It really does take a village and we appreciate Yonkers BID and SBAY coming together to bring joy to hundreds of children and families. We thank them and every donor for making this the best toy drive yet.”

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The Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District (YDWBID) was created to promote and implement the economic revitalization of the District and the City of Yonkers. The BID is also designed to maintain the downtown streets, contribute to public safety, landscape the district, market special events and create promotional opportunities to highlight the area. Additionally, the BID will preserve and encourage the cultural, historic, tourist and civic interest of the District and the City of Yonkers.